A Ruthless Killer
by AxHopelesslyxHopefulxSoul
Summary: The arena is no place for love, especially when the one you fall for is only looking for the fastest way to snap your neck. I knew that love in the Hunger Games wasn't safe, evidently I was too blinded to remember.
1. Before it All Happened

If anyone ever told you that a ruthless boy from District 2 could have found someone he actually cared about, you would immediately think that he would have fallen for the girl from his own District, a girl who was deserving. What if I told you that you were wrong? That it hadn't been her, that it'd been a lonely, worthless underdog from a seemingly unimportant District?

In the end it doesn't matter though, does it? All of the tributes die at some point, many times it's due to what they witnessed in the games or even what happened to them afterwords, the way the Capitol managed to change them as a person.

I was a tribute in the 74th annual Hunger Games and I knew the moment my name was drawn that I wasn't going to make it out alive. I didn't have any special skills, I was terrible at making friends, and flirting was never a strong point, actually, flirting wasn't even in my vocabulary up until the Games when I was forced to become that person, the one who was more than willing to go for any guy who looked her way, I hated that girl with a passion. I guess I could blame her for what happened in the Games, but that occurs later in the story.

In the beginning, I was just a normal, completely average, girl from District 6 that would help her mother when she was asked to, the girl who got passing, but not perfect, grades. I was the girl that would sit in the middle of class and at times make a comment. I didn't care about my appearance and neither did anyone else, I'd never been kissed, never been asked out on a date, never been held underneath the stars on a cloudless night, but those things didn't matter, I still had time to do those things.

If you haven't guessed, I was a bit of a romantic when life was normal, I wanted the perfect life, a family with a husband that loved me, children that would smile up at me and come to me when they had a nightmare. I never thought that those things were too much to ask although as time progressed, I started to believe that those requests were selfish and that I didn't deserve the things I wanted.

I didn't get any of that, a few kisses here and there but it wasn't love, it was strictly lust and the need for power and domination. I made a mistake and it cost me dearly.


	2. The Beginning Of It All

**I do not own the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does. **

**Abigale's POV**

The Reaping was a yearly occurrence, everyone knew that. It was something that most of the Districts dreaded, including my own. It was the day when twenty four children would be taken away from their families and forced to kill one another on live television, just to entertain the overfed, overdressed, spoiled citizens of the Capitol.

There had always been hatred toward the Games, most people didn't enjoy watching kids slaughter each other. There were some people that didn't seem to understand that once a tribute was dead, they weren't coming back. It wasn't some silly television show where all of the "actors" returned home after a long day of work, once the tributes were dead they were never coming back.

I'd only known two people that went into the Games and I wasn't close to either of them, technically I wasn't close to anyone, I'd never been good at making friends. It wasn't that I was shy all of the time, I just wasn't talented when it came to handling new people or new situations, evidently that put me in a position to be alone a majority of the time.

o.O.o

The day of the Reaping I made my way to the town-square, wearing the only dress I owned. It was made out of a floral print fabric and it seemed to shrink as the years went by, the length of the skirt barely reaching mid-thigh by that day. I was glad that the skirt flowed a little, it gave more room I suppose, but I felt uncomfortable standing there in such little clothing.

I quickly made my way to the table where the peacekeepers were, prepared to sign in. I did it as quickly as possible before I practically sprinted toward the section for girls that were sixteen. I couldn't help but feel a little "lucky" considering my birthday was the week before, earning me an extra slip of paper in the glass ball for girls.

I wanted to be done with the day already, to return home and sit with my parents, feeling terrible for the two families that lost a child to the Reaping. Sure, my parents had worried that at one point I would be the one going into the Games but only when the names were about to be called, the thought that I would be safe was always in the back of their minds, it dominated over the fear that the Capitol would take me as the next female tribute for District 6.

Besides, I'd only had my name in the glass ball five times, it would have been four had I been born a day after the Reaping but evidently life didn't work that way. Everything moved in slow motion as the woman that had come from the Capitol slipped her manicured hand into the ball and snatched a single slip of paper, grasping it until her yellow skin crinkled from the force she was exerting.

Everyone held their breath, not wanting to be the one chosen or lose a loved one.

"Abigale Morris!" She called out, "Do we have any volunteers?"

I froze completely, I'd almost cheered when I heard the name "Abigale" called, no one called me that anymore aside from my mother when I was in trouble, it took me a few minutes to realize what had happened.

"Abigale? Where are you darling?" The attendant asked after realizing that no one would volunteer, her high-pitched voice rising as she searched the crowd frantically, trying to find my face although she had no idea what I looked like.

In that moment I wanted to hide, to turn and run back to the safety of my room and my bed, burrow underneath the blankets and pretend that the sheets of fabric could protect me from any and all harm.

Someone nudged me from behind and I was too terrified to glance back and see who'd done it. I slowly made my way towards the stage, absentmindedly smoothing my dress in a sad attempt to make it cover more of my legs.

The Capitol attendant's eyes lit up when she saw me, she was quick to grasp my shoulders and practically tug me to the microphone.

"Hello, Abigale!" She chirped in an all too happy tone.

"H-hi," I whispered, the microphone catching my soft voice and amplifying it.

"Someone's a bit nervous, is she not? Well, we must be moving along, please give a warm round of applause for your female tribute, Abigale Morris!"

A few people clapped respectively while others embraced their friends, thankful that they hadn't been forced into the Games, I just stared blankly at nothing in particular, my thoughts racing.

The attendant nudged me away from the microphone and I moved robotically, too nervous and scared to do anything else. My thoughts were racing almost too fast for me to keep up with them, my mind going to death, my death, and what the arena would be like.

I didn't see who was chosen to go into the arena with me, too lost and confused to pay attention to what was going on. All that I knew at that point was that he had a strong grip and calloused hands, only because we were forced to shake each other's hands as some kind of truce or something of that nature. I can't say that it meant we were going to play fair, it was the Hunger Games after all, there were no rules.

"Ladies and gentlemen, your tributes for the 74th annual Hunger Games! May the odds be ever in your favor!"

I dropped my gaze to the ground and allowed the peacekeepers to push me into the Justice Building, not bothering to put up a fight although I don't think that I could have, I was weak and terrified, two things that didn't mix well together.

After what felt like hours I managed to raise my eyes and look at the large crowd, every citizen of District 6 had come out to watch the Reaping, not by choice of course, but they were still there. It didn't take much for me to realize that most of them didn't even know who I was, a few of my teachers gave me sympathetic looks as well as a few of my parents' friends and a couple of shop owners I'd met after running errands for my mother so many times, but those that were my age simply looked at my District partner.

I glanced back at him and frowned when I noticed that he was a relatively popular boy, he wasn't known by everyone but he had friends and a large family as well as more of a reason to return home. He was also stronger than I was, it didn't take too much to realize that he would be getting the sponsors.

He met my eyes and raised his eyebrows in a curious way before the peacekeepers pushed us into separate rooms. I nearly fell onto the ground at the force of the shove but I managed to catch myself on the wall, I was practically hugging it by the time I gained enough sense to stand.

My parents burst into the room within seconds, my mother was in tears and my father's eyes were red, he'd been crying prior to entering the room but he knew that he needed to be strong for my mother and I so he tried to pull himself together.

We latched onto each other and I found myself sobbing into my mother's shoulder. We were both trembling to the point where my father had to hold us up to keep us from collapsing onto the ground.

It took a while but my mother managed to calm down enough to form coherent words, her eyes found mine and she grasped my hands in hers.

"You're intelligent, Abigale," she whispered, holding my gaze, "There's a chance that you can win." She must have seen the incredulous look on my face because she quickly narrowed her eyes, "Brute strength doesn't always win the games, Abigale Marie Morris! Have a little bit of faith in yourself!"

She shoved something into my hand. "I expect you to return that to me after you win," she told me in an almost harsh whisper before she stood and walked out of the room. It took a few seconds for me to see the peacekeepers that had come into the room to take them away from me. My father soon followed her out of the room, not wanting to get caught up in another hug that would last longer than it should, at least longer than was allowed.

I glanced down and slowly opened my fist to see my mother's favorite necklace nestled in the palm of my hand, a golden chain with an emerald pendant, it was from District 1 and rumored to be extremely expensive. I wasn't an expert on gems though, I couldn't tell if the emerald was real or fake, either way it was gorgeous and tempting. My mother had always had a habit of comparing the emerald to my eyes, saying that they were identical in color.

"Time to board the train," one of the peacekeepers informed me as he made his way into the room, moving closer to grasp my upper arm before he yanked me out of the building.

I went willingly, I'd seen a few situations where a citizen refused to do what a peacekeeper told them, needless to say it never worked out too well, not for the citizen at least.

I stared at the train as we approached it, the moment I realized that we were being followed by what could have easily been hundreds of cameras I dropped my head and let my messy, blonde curls cover my face in an attempt to keep the cameras from getting any pictures of my expression. I knew that I'd been crying, my eyes didn't normally turn red or show any signs aside from a slightly glassy appearance but I didn't want all of Panem to see me like that, vulnerable and easy prey, especially when my competitors would be able to see the pictures and the footage of me being Reaped.

"Hurry up, darlings!"

I glanced back at the Capitol attendant, whose name I never bothered to learn, as she pushed me toward the train.

"Come along, Abigale, we have a schedule to keep!"

I stumbled onto the train and pressed my hands against the wall to keep from falling, I wasn't too happy that I'd been pushed into something twice in one day but before I could say anything the Capitol woman was already rattling on about how eager she was to see what we'd look like after our stylists managed to wash away the dirt and the grime.

For some reason she looked at me while she talked about it, as if she knew something that I didn't. People had looked at me in that same way before and I'd always hated it, at least at home I knew that nothing that happened would harm me, with the woman I wasn't too sure.

She clapped her hands hastily, pulling me out of my thoughts, and inclined her head in the direction of a door. My gaze traveled to that corner of the room and a sigh passed my lips.

"This is your mentor, Daniel, he was the Victor of the 69th Hunger Games!"

I nodded curtly in his direction and took a deep breath, it was really happening and there was nothing I could do to run away from it.

I was going to die in the Hunger Games.


	3. Watching The Reapings

**I don't own the Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins does.**

**Abigale's POV**

After a relatively silent dinner, at least on my part, everyone filed into another train compartment to watch the reapings. It was the first chance we had to see our competition, in my mind it was the first chance I had to gauge who would be killing me.

The District 1 tributes didn't stand out too much aside from the girl, she seemed like the type of girl I hated, the one who would move from boy to boy, eager for what they had rather than what they were. The boy from 1 seemed arrogant and cocky, two things that didn't go well together, at least not in the Games.

District 2 scared me the most, a broad shouldered boy lunged forward to volunteer immediately, the smirk that he wore on his lips told me that he planned on winning the Games, his stature and amount of muscle marked him as a Career as well as his eagerness.

The girl wasn't any less intimidating, she wore a terrifying smirk as she made her way to the stage, secretive and teasing, showing those who watched that she had tricks and talents that she would reveal when the time came.

The boy from District 4 looked too young to be involved in the Games, he looked terrified when he approached the stage, and it was obvious that 4 wouldn't be a Career district that year. I felt ashamed for being thankful, fewer Careers to hunt in the middle of the night for a weak tribute would be better for me.

The girl from District 5 strongly resembled a fox, maybe it was her sleek, red hair or her features. The first thing that came to mind was intelligent and sly, two characteristics of a fox and, as it seemed, the girl as well.

I refused to watch my own reaping; not wanting to see how idiotic I looked when my name was called, but I didn't plug my ears. I finally opened my eyes, catching sight of myself walking up to the stage, my movements were robotic and my expression was surprisingly void of emotion although unshed tears gave my eyes a glassy appearance.

The remainder of the reapings didn't hold too much interest for me, I couldn't stand to watch the twelve year old girl from District 11 walk up to the stage, she was too small and young, too innocent to be involved in the Games. The boy from her district was almost as terrifying as the boy from 2, bulking muscles and an emotionless expression.

Finally, District 12 was shown, a girl sprinting forward to volunteer for her younger sister, screaming and cries echoing through the air as if she was scared that they wouldn't hear her, wouldn't let her take her younger sister's place. But they did, and soon it was the eldest sister standing on the stage, waiting for the moment where she would be taken into the Justice Building and bid her family and friends what could possibly be her last goodbye.

"Well?" The Capitol attendant looked at everyone in the room before she continued, "What do you think of your competition?"

After a few minutes of silence she huffed and stood, her yellow skin seeming to flash as a result of the florescent lights.

"Well, that boy from District 2 is going to be getting quite a few sponsors…brutal and intimidating are two very appealing characteristics, attractive ones at that."

"The girls from District 12 and 5," I whispered after a few minutes.

The attendant looked down at me with an arched eyebrow that appeared to be penciled on, it was too thin, dark, and perfect to be natural.

"The District 12 girl made an impression," I continued quietly, pulling my knees to my chest, "She's a volunteer from an outlying district and she's going in place of her younger sister."

"Yes, but keep your concerns for her to a minimum, your greatest threats are the Careers…but rest assured, they do not receive any special treatment from the Capitol!"

The way she said it made me believe that yes, the Careers did receive special treatment, they were trained to kill! They gave more entertainment than the rest of us, they were better, no matter what the woman said, I wasn't nearly as important as the Careers were.

"Well, come along you two, you have a very important day ahead of you, tomorrow you'll meet your stylists and be introduced to all of Panem in the opening ceremonies!"

I stood up quickly, uninterested in the constant talk of fashion now streaming out of the Capitol woman's mouth. I hadn't thought of the opening ceremonies up until that point and once I did, I couldn't get the thoughts out of my mind, I dreaded the outfit they'd put me in, not wanting it to be too revealing or embarrassing, at least I wasn't from District 12, once they'd dressed the two tributes in nothing but coal dust, thinking that it would be a suitable costume. It definitely got the two noticed, but not in a good way.

"Where are you going, Amelia?"

"It's Abigale, not Amelia," I corrected the woman immediately. I didn't believe that there was a reason for her` to forget my name considering she was the one that pulled it out of the glass ball.

She swatted at me with a huff, she looked prepared to stomp her feet childishly as I made my way out of the room and down the hallway.

It had been a long enough day and I had no interest in staying awake and having my name confused with another. I understood why she didn't bother to learn my name though, in her eyes I wouldn't be alive for too much longer, why bother to learn the name of a girl who could be dead within the week?

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed and added this story to your favorites, it means a lot!**

**~HunterofArtemis1136 **


	4. Read if you'd like for me to continue

For all of my readers who still have an interest in this story I've decided to attempt to pick it up once more. But, upon a read-through, I've noticed a series of cringe-worthy mistakes. I intend to fix them while also adding to the existing chapters. Depending on the feedback I get from this author's note I'll decide on my plan of action. If no one's interested I won't bother continuing, but if you are willing to read please tell me. This was definitely a fun story to write, and I would love to continue it if you feel the same.

~ HuterofArtemis1136/AxHopelesslyxHopefulxSoul


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